Brad Feld

An early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years presents an invaluable guide to building supportive "startup communities"--a group of entrepreneurs who feed off of each other's talent, ideas, creativity and support.

Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

Startup Communities

First published in 2012, Startup Communities became a blueprint for what it takes to build a supportive entrepreneurial community. Now regarded as a classic, the "Boulder Thesis" created and popularized by Feld within the book generated enormous media attention nearly a decade ago. At that time, Boulder was an emerging startup laboratory—a hub of innovation building new tech businesses. It quickly accelerated into a world class ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Boulder's entrepreneurial density, combined with the geographic concentration of entrepreneurial activity around the Boulder downtown core, made it a hotbed of startup activity. Feld was and is still there, as a keen observer and one of its leaders. As he notes simply in the new edition, humans are wired to start things. In a sense, that short Feld-ism accurately describes the startup revolution still taking hold throughout the world. Boulder is proof that innovation can happen anywhere, in any city. Thanks in part to the book, what happens in Boulder now leaves Boulder. Rapidly growing startup communities in Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, Nashville, and Indianapolis are just a few examples. Over the last decade, Feld has dispelled the myth that startups can only thrive in Silicon Valley. Startup communities continue to pop up across the U.S. and around the world, prompting fresh new revelations and stories from Feld about what's happened over the last decade. Startup Communities 2e describes what makes a startup community ecosystem first click, then hum, and in time, excel. From Boulder to Beijing and beyond, entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation. Startup Communities 2e discusses and the necessary dynamics and pre-conditions of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off each other's talent, creativity, and support. In Startup Communities 2e, Feld will help you understand: The core principles of a vibrant startup community, re-examining his Boulder Thesis and exploring other historical frameworks. The attributes of leadership in a startup community that can help it thrive along with the classical problems any community will face during development. The importance of a university in a startup community, and how large companies can engage effectively with entrepreneurs. The importance of continuous improvement so growth does not stagnate. The common myths about startup communities. The opportunities to build startup communities in non-urban, or rural, places that are much less populated.

Justin

I picked this up after listening to Feld's interview on Tim Ferriss. The book covers a brief history of startups and tech investing in the US, and how the Boulder startup community came to be. 

Some of the more interesting sections were the Boulder Thesis, the ingredients that made the Boulder startup community work; the different roles in a community: feeders, leaders and instigators; and adapting the startup community to more rural environments.

Great primer on a topic that was totally new to me. I would have liked more specifics on a few areas, but the focus on some of the core players and dynamics kept it really easy to digest.

Jenna Pederson

I enjoyed this book - it was an easy, quick read. The author gave a lot of great insight into the Boulder startup community and gave some very actionable examples that one can take in their own community. I like this book most because it was very applicable to building any type of community, not just a startup community.

Startup Communities Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

Reviews